24 Parliamentary Secretaries inducted in Nagaland

Kohima: Five days after being sworn in as Chief Minister, TR Zeliang, who heads a 12-member Cabinet in Nagaland, on Thursday inducted 24 ruling MLAs as Parliamentary Secretaries to oversee various government departments.

In the 60-member state Assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) has 51 members with NPF as major constituent with 37 MLAs. Pre-poll allies BJP and JD (U) have one member each while four NCP and eight Independent MLAs also joined the ruling front after the 2013 Assembly elections.

Zeliang took over as Chief Minister after Neiphiu Rio’s election as MP from Nagaland in the recent Lok Sabha elections. He was sworn in on May 24 along with 11 ministers.

Zeliang administered the oath of secrecy and office to 23 Parliamentary Secretaries, while one of them Vikho-o hoshu was not present due to pre-engagements.

Zeliang said after the swearing in ceremony held at State Banquet hall here on Thursday that Vikho-o had informed him about the prior engagement.

Out of the 24 Parliamentary Secretaries, Zeliang has retained 16 of them who were in Rio’s ministry. The strength of DAN-III ministry under Rio was 12 and there were 21 Parliamentary Secretaries while 15 were made advisers and chairmen of various public sector undertakings in the state. The Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly are also from the ruling side.

Opposition Congress has only eight members while the Northern Angami-II Assembly Constituency has been declared vacant following Rio’s resignation.